Pelicans vs. Cavaliers prediction: NBA Tuesday odds, picks, best bet

Christmas certainly can disrupt routine for NBA players, so sports bettors must proceed with caution this week.

Sometimes, it works in your favor. Sometimes, it works against you.

The wisest approach is to operate in a vacuum rather than trying to guess which team might be more affected, but it’s important to accept the variance.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be home favorites against the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday. These are two teams with polar opposite results for bettors.

Cleveland is just 8-21 against the spread (ATS), which is easily the league’s worst mark. Meanwhile, New Orleans is 13-4 ATS since making a coaching change to James Borrego. 

I have been backing the Pelicans, as I did in a recent pick, and I see no reason to stop.

They are playing much better, thanks to getting healthier with key guys returning from injury.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III (25) reacts after making a basket. AP

Cleveland finished among the best teams ATS last year on its way to earning the Eastern Conference’s top seed. But a lot has gone wrong this year, including the current injury to Evan Mobley. 

This game is the second of a back-to-back situation for Cleveland before visiting the Knicks on Christmas Day.

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There is a decent chance we see another lethargic performance from a team that has underperformed all season.

I have an 84-72-2 ATS record in this Post sports section.

My next play is taking the points with New Orleans.

The Play: Pelicans +9.5 (-110, BetMGM)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Doug Kezirian is a New York Post contributor who has over two decades of experience in the betting space, including spending 11 years at ESPN as a host, columnist and betting analyst. He’s also the rare personality who has documented success – 14th place in 2023 Circa Million and Las Vegas SuperContest ($37K), two top-10 finishes in 2022 William Hill College Football Challenge ($58K) and also grabbed headlines with a $297K win on the 2021 NFL Draft.